Calvados | Spirits Calvados Calvados, a French brandy, is typically derived from the most innocent of sources, apples. But beware: overindulge in this fruit-flavored spirit and you may be in for a whopping hangover. The History of Calvados Apple Brandy Calvados hails from the French region of Normandy and takes its name from the French area most notable for its production. Calvados, or as the locals would call it, “el calvados,” is a potent form of brandy made through a two-part process called “double distillation.” After distillation, the liquid is then aged in oak barrels for upwards of two years, resulting in a brandy with a nearly 40 percent alcohol content. Calvados enjoys a long and rich history. Locals have been distilling liquor from cider in Normandy since at least the mid 1500s. Although the drink is most often made from apples, it can also be produced from pears. Calvados apple brandy is not as popular in the United States as its high brow cousin, cognac.

In fact, only about 200,000 bottles of calvados are sold in the U.S., compare each year, as compared to the 40 million bottles of cognac consumed. How to Drink Calvados Apple Brandy As with any specialty drink, there are several ways to get the most enjoyment from drinking Calvados. Some tips to keep in mind are: An old Normandy tradition serves up Calvados between courses midway through a meal, as opposed to what we consider the more common before or after dinner drink. Calvados can be consumed dry, on ice or as an ingredient in other drinks. Traditional Normandy recipes add calvados and cream to pork and mussel dishes. Recipes for Calvados Apple Brandy There”s no need to take our word for the wonderful flavor of calvados. Taste the French apple brandy yourself with the following three recipes, one creamy and slightly decadent and the other two served up with a bit of zest.

Calvados Cream Calvados: Spirit of the Apple Michael Bateman posted Jan 22nd, 2007 at 12:00am Skinner/Veron There is no secret to making good calvados, says Claude Camut. "All you need is the bonne fortune of being in the right place, on the right farm, with the right apples, for 800 years." He should know. The head of a family that can indeed trace its lineage back eight centuries, to Viking times, he bears a name synonymous with some of Normandy's finest farm-produced calvados. Calvados, of course, is the region's world-famous apple brandy, distilled from cider just as cognac and armagnac are distilled from wine. (Appellation laws permit the use of a limited percentage of pears as well, though most quality producers eschew them.) A well-aged calvados of the best quality, glowing amber and gold, with its mysterious and complex aromas of fruit and vanilla—its haunting suggestion not so much of apples as of the elegant ghost of apples—is simply one of the world's great spirits.

Not all calvados answers this description, it must be said—not by a long shot. Much of it is crudely made, a tongue-lashing, mouth-puckering, hangover-inducing firewater. (In her memoir A Gift of Joy, Helen Hayes observes that "Calvados is peculiar stuff. Veteran French boozers limit themselves to a tablespoonful, and at that, end up licking policemen and setting fire to the Arc de Triomphe.") Its reputation has hardly been enhanced by the Parisian fashion for "cafe-calva," a measure of fairly raw spirit plunged into a cup of hot black coffee, or into its dregs. (Normans have a different idea—the "trou normand" or "Norman hole." This is simply a shot of calvados downed quickly between courses of a serious meal. The alcohol temporarily arrests the digestive process, giving the impression of a "hole" in the stomach into which more of the rich local cuisine, which is typically full of cream and butter, may be shoveled.) If Parisians remain fond of the cafe-calva, though, they are apparently also beginning to appreciate calvados of the highest quality.

"Calvados had been stuck with a very bad image," explains Christian Drouin, producer of Coeur-de-Lion. But, he says, "The sommelier of La Tour d'Argent told me he has been selling more calvados than cognac since 1989." At the turn of the century, 90 percent of all calvados was made noncommercially, by farmers, on the farm. Today, it's a mere handful, with a slightly larger handful coming from commercial farmer-producers like Claude Camut, and the rest turned out by four large companies—Boulard, Busnel, Pere Magloire, and Gilbert. Larger producers buy apples, cider, even old stocks of already-distilled calvados for blending. Camut grows all his own apples, makes and distills his own cider, and ages it himself. His orchard is his patrimony. He waves at the nearby trees—they are planted about 30 feet apart, each pruned to just a few wide-spreading limbs and shaped so that they allow the maximum amount of sun to filter through—and notes that these are the region's traditional hautes tiges, or tall trunks.

He could produce 10 to 15 times as many apples, he says, if he used newer, high-yield varieties of fruit and pruned the trees to a height of about six feet, so that they could be machine-picked. But he's not interested. "This would not produce calvados of the same quality," he says with a shrug. Each of the 25 traditional varieties he does grow, adds Camut, contributes something distinctive to his calvados. Blending fruit of varying degrees of sweetness helps give balance to the finished brandy. Some of his apples are wizened little specimens no bigger than golf balls. Nonetheless, he maintains, they all taste good. (I don't agree, incidentally.

Try one and you'll probably want to spit it out, as the first agreeable sensation of sweetness on the tip of your tongue dissolves into parching bitterness.) "In Paris," he laughs, "they think it is very funny we can make such a marvelous spirit with such horrible-looking apples." Calvados is made in delineated regions within the departement of Calvados (supposedly named after the man-of-war El Calvador, part of the Spanish Armada, which sank off the coast of Normandy in the 16th century) and portions of the departements of Manche, Orme, Eure, and Seine-Maritime. The most celebrated of these regions, and the one that produces the finest calvados by far, is the Pays d'Auge—famous for the quality of its apples and for the chalky soil in which they grow. The calvados of the Pays d'Auge has been granted an Appellation d'Origine Controlee by the French government, guaranteeing its authenticity.

Appellation regulations for the region require that calvados du Pays d'Auge be double-distilled in the traditional manner, aged in oaken casks, and not be sold until it is at least two years old. (Calvados labeled as "Vieux" or "Reserve" has been aged for at least three years. The terms "VO," "VSOP," or "Vieille Reserve" promise spirits at least four years of age, and calvados more than six years old may be called "Hors d'Âge," "Napoleon," "Âge Inconnu," or "Extra." In blended calvados, the age of the youngest brandy applies.) Because calvados, like all dry spirits, improves only in the cask, it is not bottled until it is required for sale. Throughout the aging process, distilled water is introduced into the casks to reduce the alcohol content of the spirits to a commercial standard of 42 degrees (84 proof). Many producers believe that calvados would actually benefit from even greater dilution. Calvados is the largest departement in Normandy.

Its administrative capital is the river port and former steel town of Caen—but the capital of Calvados, insofar as it has one, is the little town of Pont l'Éveque, about 30 miles to the northeast, famous for its odorous but excellent farmhouse cheese. Within a 15-mile radius of Pont l'Éveque, you will find most of the best producers of calvados du Pays d'Auge, large and small. Nursing cider into raw eau-de-vie and then into aged calvados is as much pure science as art. And very beautiful science it is, for the technology, both ancient and modern, is wonderful to see. You can enjoy it in its most modern form at Boulard's Cidrerie, located in Pont l'Éveque—a postmodern cathedral of a place where the cider that will eventually become calvados is fermented. The fermented cider is distilled into calvados, on the other hand, in a more traditional facility up the road in Coquainvilliers.

Here, the burnished copper alembic stills evoke Aladdin's lamp or the onion domes of the Kremlin, while the curving metal pipes suggest a Turkish hookah. The mix of old and new is dramatic, too, at Busnel in nearby Cormeilles, the largest distiller of calvados in the Pays d'Auge. The distillery is thoroughly modern—but all the brandy at Busnel goes into wooden casks, as much as 200 years old. "New oak kills the apple," says Busnel director Michel Hamon. "Our object is to re-find the apple." Toward that end, he says, between 25 and 40 apple varieties go into a typical Busnel blend. Étienne Dupont, who gave up a career in banking to take over the family calvados business after his father's death in 1978, uses a sparse ten varieties of apple. He also insists that his apples be very, very small, because most of the more intense aromas, he says, lie close to the skin. "I aim to achieve typicite," he says. "Some people like it, some may not, but you can't please everybody.

I'm not selling Coca-Cola." Tags: Calvados and Cider Brandy : The Whisky Exchange FREE UK standard delivery on orders over £100 Calvados and Cider Brandy Calvados, made almost exclusively in Normandy, is a cider spirit. Cider is made with specific apples or pears (some of them being very old varieties), and there are four types of apples used in cider making: sweet, bittersweet, bitter and sour. The quality of the cider depends upon the type of soil, the type of orchard and the pressing of the fruit. Discover more » Calvadosand Cider Brandy Calvados is only be made in Normandy or its outskirts, and is distilled from cider made with apples or pears. Typically, a combination of sweet and bitter apples will be used to make the initial cider, but the type of soil and the way the fruit is pressed will also affect the quality.

Calvados is made almost exclusively in Normandy, France Calvados has three main production zones, each with its typical flavour profile: Calvados Pays d’Auge (rich, round, complex); Calvados (fresh, fruity, pungent); and Calvados Domfrontais (floral, with a pleasant sourness). In terms of ageing, calvados uses the following definitions: Trois Etoiles or Trois Pommes A minimum of two to three years old VSOP or VO Hors d’Age More than six years old Young calvados, especially those from Domfrontais, can be enjoyed as an aperitif (on ice or with soda water). They also match beautifully with Normandy cheeses such as a creamy Camembert. Older calvados, from Pays d’Auge, will be served with Pont-l’Evêque cheese or an apple pudding, or as an after-dinner dram.

Typical Character and Style of Calvados Apple The Best Calvados & Apple Brandies | Tasting Table Print Save Photos: Lizzie Munro/Tasting Table By the time the first American settlers had figured out how to press apples into cider , the French were already distilling their juice into the dark, delicious brandy known as calvados. True calvados is a spirit appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and subject to strict regulations about where (Normandy) and how (aged in oak barrels for a minimum of two years) it's produced. But domestic distilleries have been making fruit-forward brandies since at least 1780, when Robert Laird founded America's first commercial distillery and began producing our first apple brandy, Laird's Applejack . Two centuries later, calvados and its local brethren, traditionally sipped as an aperitif or digestif , are making their way onto modern cocktail menus. "There are American producers making apple brandies that rival anything coming from France," says Jessica Sanders, co-owner of drink.well.

in Austin, namechecking Oregon's Clear Creek Distillery and California's Germain-Robin Heirloom as two of her favorite domestic producers. "Of course, Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy is one my favorite spirits on the planet to sip," she says. "And at 100 proof, it makes a great backbone for cocktails." "Calvados has a woodsy, earthy and spicy taste, with the actual apple flavor in the background," Stephen Shelton, co-owner and bartender at The Lexington House in Los Gatos, California, says. "American brandy is the opposite, with the fresh, floral apple flavor in the forefront." He likes California-based St. George Reserve , which combines the best of both worlds. "It balances those old-world flavors with a long-lasting fresh apple palate," he says. "It pays homage to its history while still maintaining a modern craft taste." Sip for yourself at one of these apple brandy-loving bars across the country: Laird's Old Apple Brandy was the first apple brandy produced in the US. drink.well.

in Austin, TX In the Pomme Pomme Squad cocktail, French VSOP calvados meets a big splash of cognac, rich brown sugar syrup and dashes of creole and allspice bitters, served in an Herbsaint-rinsed old-fashioned glass. "The longer VSOP aged calvados sits in oak barrels, the more it will showcase that warm, round vanilla and spice character," Sanders says. Raines Law Room in New York, NY The Pioneer Spirit, a play on the old-fashioned, blends Laird's 7.5-year apple brandy, WhistlePig 10-year rye, Angostura bitters and orgeat syrup. "I love the Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy. It has great apple notes but a body that reminds me of rye," bar manager Meaghan Dorman says. Raven & Rose in Portland, OR Raven & Rose carries a wide variety of calvados and apple brandies, and this season it's featuring a barrel of Germain-Robin Heirloom apple brandy. "The brandy has amazing great apple flavor, alive and complex," bar manager David Shenaut says.

"I like it better than most calvados." Find it in cocktails like the Lodi Rider, with apple brandy, Cocchi Americano, lemon and an apple syrup made with first-of-the-season Lodi apples. The Lexington House in Los Gatos, CA "We don't always use apple brandy in a cocktail, because sometimes its delicate apple flavor gets lost," Shelton says. "But we have one cocktail that enhances the spirit as opposed to covering it up." That would be the Apple Toddy—St. George apple brandy stirred with a honey shrub , Angostura bitters and hot water, and served with a clove-studded lemon wheel. Calvados - Buy online - Amathus Drinks 1 ladle of pancake batter some sugar Method of Preperation 1. Peel and core the apple, cut the apple into slices. Put apple slices back into a medium heat on stove hard with a little butter, sprinkle with sugar 2. Put a ladle of pancake batter has in a pan and cook for a few minutes; flip the pancake, put the calvados and flambé. Leave flambé. Add apples. 3. Close pancake and serve immediately.

What to drink with this dish: Some Pommeau de Normandie! Calvados Calvados is an apple and pear brandy produced in the French region of Lower Normandy. Often regarded as the world’s premier style of apple brandy, calvados is one of the few forms of brandy to be granted AOC status in France, alongside cognac and armagnac. Calvados is a spirit that has aroma, flavour and body closer to the complexities of grape brandy rather than a fruit eau-de-vie. AOC calvados production is split into three separate appellations. AOC Pays d'Auge is highly regarded and produced from apples alone; AOC Domfrontais is produced using at least 30% pears; AOC Calvados covers the largest region and produces the majority of calvados from either apples or pears. Fermenting apples and pears to produce cider arguably dates back to before the 7th century. In the 8th century the hand press was invented, allowing the apples and pears which were being grown in abundance in Normandy to be pressed for their juices effectively.

It is at this time that cider production and the first stages of calvados production became widespread. The first known distillation was carried out by Lord de Gouberville in the 1500s. The name Calvados supposedly originates from a ship that belonged to the Spanish Armada, El Salvador, which was sunk in 1588 off the coast of Normandy. During the French revolution this name was given to the area and in turn was passed on to the area’s local ‘eau-de-vie-de-cidre’. Calvados as a region was recognized in 1942 and awarded AOC status in 1984, with the calvados aperitif ‘pommeau’ being awarded status in 1991, and finally the pear dominant calvados Domfront appellation in 1997. Regions Normandy, in the Northwest of France, is the home of calvados. Normandy may be too cold for grapes, but is noted for its superb apple and pear orchards. French AOC regulations act to control the regions and methods of calvados production. There are three appellations of calvados.

AOC Calvados Covering the greatest geographically defined area, the AOC calvados appellation accounts for over 70% of total calvados production. Regulations limit the use of apples and pears to defined cider varieties. Also regulated are procedures regarding the pressing of freshly harvested fruit, fermentation, distillation and ageing. Distillation typically takes place in a single column still, ageing is for a minimum period of two years in oak casks. AOC Calvados Domfrontais Reflecting the long tradition of pear orchards in the area, a minimum of 30% of pears from the designated areas must be used in AOC Calvados Domfrontais. Cider is typically distilled in a single column still, followed by a requisite ageing for a minimum of three years in oak casks. AOC Calvados Pays d'Auge Limited to the use of apples from a designated area, AOC Calvados Pays d'Auge undergoes extensive quality control; more than other appellations of AOC calvados. Cider must be fermented for a minimum of six weeks, double distilled in a Charentais pot still, followed by ageing for a minimum of two years in oak casks.

Production To make one litre of calvados as 100% pure alcohol, around 27 kg of apples or 20 litres of cider are necessary. There are 46 varieties of apples permitted for use in calvados, divided into five categories: - Bitter apples - rich in tannin, they give the body of the cider - Sweet apples - weak in tannin, their sugar guarantees the alcohol content - Acid apples - they give the juice its coolness - Sour apples - they bring some useful tannin - Sweet and bitter apples - they stabilize the alcohol content of the cider Each producer selects a different mixture of apples to express the distinctive characteristics of the final product. Pears used in production must abide by a list of approved varieties specified to meet AOC restrictions. Once harvested, fruit will be pressed, often by hand, and placed in vats to allow natural yeasts to start fermentation of the fruit into cider. The fermentation process may take up to six weeks to reach the alcohol content required for distillation (4.5% ABV). Distillation takes place between the beginning of the winter and June 30th of the following year. The method of distillation depends primarily on the AOC appellation.

Calvados AOC Pays d’Auge is double distilled very slowly in a Charentais pot still. The first distillation produces liquid called ‘petites eaux’ or ‘brouillis’ at 28% ABV. This liquid undergoes a second distillation which produces an austere and colourless spirit with a calvados taste at around 72% ABV. This distillation method produces a richer more viscous spirit that will suit longer periods of ageing. Calvados AOC and AOC Domfrontais may be double distilled, similarly to AOC Pays d’Auge, but may also be distilled once only in a column still. This distillation method produces a lighter spirit with fresh clean apple and pear flavours but with less complexity. Ageing generally follows standard French brandy practice: a short period in new oak casks to build structure followed by a longer period in used oak casks for slow maturation. Calvados ages better in a slightly damp cellar where the subtle exchanges between wood, air and alcohol give calvados its smooth flavour and bouquet.

Fine or ‘3 stars’ – Aged at least two years in oak casks Vieux or Reserve – Aged at least three years in oak casks VO, VSOP or Vieille Reserve – Aged at least four years in oak casks XO, Extra or Hors d’Age or Napoleon - Aged at least six years in oak casks but often much older Vintage – Produced from a single year. Generally high quality calvados that is aged for a longer period of time. Tasting Notes Calvados is a spirit that concentrates the sweetness and acidity of apples with spicy vanilla notes of oak. Calvados produced from pears generally has an overall fruitier flavour. Young calvados will be full of fresh apple and pear flavours and aromas. Aged calvados increasingly takes on the flavours introduced by the wood, such as dried apricots, butterscotch, nuts and cacao, making it more closely resemble other aged brandies. How to drink Young calvados will suit being mixed as a long drink or in a variety of cocktails. Aged calvados is best appreciated drunk straight at room temperature, as you would a quality cognac or armagnac.

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Nothing says fall better than a fizzy, apple-scented cocktail, made with Calvados, a touch of crabapple simple syrup & bubbly French cider. How does fall make you feel? Bright blue skies, a chill in the air? Dry leaves crackling underfoot or swirling down the street? Maybe you feel effervescent? Well, I feel bubbly. Summer’s wet blanket has lifted—and with it all that horrid heat and humidity. There’s a certain lightness of being. A sense of anticipation. Great things are just around the corner… A world of infinite possibilities is opening up. A probable move is conjuring the most seductive dreams. That long-desired trip to Kyoto? Just days away. Things are changing fast. Mostly for the better… In our house, moments like this call for a cocktail. Forget about winter: there’s plenty of time for warm drinks on cold days. Right now I want something buoyant, something that tastes and feels like autumn. I’m thinking of calling this cocktail Up A Tree. If you read this blog, you surely know how much I love our crabapple tree, especially now when the ripe crimson-gold fruit hangs heavy on the bough.

A few weeks ago, when I saw this recipe for crabapple simple syrup, my heart began to flutter. The next day I picked a few pounds of our apples, juiced them and simmered the liquid with sugar and a few spices. Not too much, just a small piece of cinnamon, two cloves and a fragment of star anise. A few hours later I had a beautiful rosy elixir, both sweet and tart, tasting of apples and a hint of the spices that go so well with the fruit. The rest of the cocktail was a snap. Well, sort of. I myself was surprised to find a bottle of Christian Drouin Calvados in depths of the Dutch Indonesian armoire. This apple brandy, made in Normandy, delivers a serious punch. Try a sip or two and you’ll see what I mean. In Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris , A. J. Liebling purred about the virtues of Calvados, calling it “the blessed liquid,” saying that it has “a warmer touch to the heart” than almost any other alcohol. Sadly, though, it seems that the wondrous brandy has lost its cachet in France.

But wait: In today’s New York Times Travel Section, there’s a marvelous piece about a revival of interest in Calvados. In “Young Producers, Age Old Spirits,” (Travel, p. 6, October 19, 2014), Jason Wilson writes that a new generation of producers is trying to bring Calvados into the 21st century, both through innovation and by returning to “traditional farming and distilling methods.” He says that younger brandies, such as the one lurking in the back of our liquor cabinet, tend to be around 17 percent alcohol—hence the wallop—while aged brandies tend to have more intriguing complexity. Here’s the thing: Shaken with a little crabapple elixir and ice, that young Calvados becomes seductively sweet. Instead of a punch in the face, the apple-flavored wallop hits you gently. It’s slow, but cunning. To top it off: fizzy hard cider. I was lucky enough to find a French cider from Normandy—it’s dry, bubbly and a perfect counterpoint to the brandy and simple syrup mixture.

These stellar ingredients make a delicious drink, best enjoyed on a cool, sunny afternoon with your true love. Under the apple tree, of course, as you ponder the possibilities. I’ll be traveling in Japan for a while. See you in November! Makes 1 cocktail (recipe can be doubled if you’re drinking with a friend) Ingredients: 1 ounce Calvados, or apple brandy 1 tablespoon spiced crabapple elixir (recipe follows) Sparkling hard cider, preferably a French cider such as Etienne Dupont’s Cidre Bouche Brut de Normandie (organic) Method: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the Calvados and crabapple elixir. Shake for one minute. Strain into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling hard cider. Drink a toast to fall. Spiced Crabapple Elixir The original recipe for crabapple simple syrup appeared in “Upset the Apple (Cocktail) Cart,” in The Wall Street Journal’s Weekend section, September 13-14, 2014, p. D6. It comes from Pearl & Ash in New York, where it is used in a cocktail called The Alien Comic.

The recipe calls for 3 pounds of crabapples to make 2 cups juice, but I found that our own crabapples were much juicier. It took just a pound to make a single cup of juice, so you may have to experiment if you are buying crabapples from a farmer’s market or grocery store. Makes 1 cup of simple syrup Ingredients: 1 pound fresh crabapples, or enough to yield 1 cup of juice ½ cup sugar A 1-inch piece of cinnamon 2 cloves A small piece of star anise Method: Wash and pick over the crabapples, discarding any that have large soft spots or are severely damaged by insects. Run them through a juicer. You should have 1 cup juice. In a small pot, combine the juice and the sugar. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and skim any froth that may have accumulated on top. While still hot, add the spices and cover. Let the syrup cool to room temperature. You can leave it overnight if desired. When the syrup is cool and is slightly flavored with the spices, strain it into a small jar and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.

(The original recipe says it will last for 2 weeks. Well, ours disappeared in the space of an afternoon.) Calvados - A Taste of Apples and Fall - The Pour - The New York Times The New York Times Food |The Flavor of Apples and a Sip of Fall Search Continue reading the main story Photo Calvados, apple-flavored brandy from Normandy, at the Barclay Bar in Manhattan. Credit Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times IN apple season, it doesn’t take long for me to make the leap from fruit to cider to Calvados, which distills apples down to their elemental character in brandy form. I love Calvados, though I confess I don’t drink it very often. Yet when I do, I’m reminded immediately why I love it. Apple aromas and flavors burst vividly from the glass, in jagged flashes that seem to penetrate deeply into the complex essence of an apple. Clarity, purity, tart citrus, cinnamon spice, earthiness, mintiness: these are just some of the sensations I experience in a glass of good Calvados. My problem with Calvados is not the apple element. It’s the brandy part.

The usual way of serving brandy does it no favors. It’s generally consigned to an after-dinner or late-night role, served in those horrible oversize balloon snifters that do little beyond emphasizing the biting heat of the alcohol. A smaller snifter, or a good white-wine glass, is superior for enjoying any brandy. Calvados in particular can defy our expectations of brandy. Because it’s distilled from cider rather than from wine, it’s more rustic by nature than Cognac or Armagnac. Certainly it is by reputation. Serving Calvados in a white-wine glass might signal an intent to regard brandy from a different critical stance. Continue reading the main story “I think once people realize that they can approach these spirits as if they were wine — with more intelligence and attention to nuance — their experience will be greatly heightened,” said Charles Neal , who imports wine and spirits and whose “Calvados: The Spirit of Normandy” was just published by Flame Grape Press. For one thing, as the book persuasively asserts, Calvados has terroir. From region to region, sometimes village to village, the soil, fruit and customs can differ completely.

Advertisement Continue reading the main story “Calvados” is an astounding 700-page stroll through the history and culture of Normandy and Calvados producers, through orchards and cellars, down to seemingly esoteric details, like what a producer might have scribbled in chalk on a typical barrel. Mr. Neal looks at the multitude of different apples, from sweet to acidic, that might go into a producer’s blend. Many people will be surprised to learn that pears , too, can be part of the formula, particularly for those brandies with the appellation Calvados Domfrontais, where the rules require at least 30 percent of the fruit to be pears. In truth, the presence of pears is awfully hard to detect in Calvados. The dozens of pears grown for Calvados Domfrontais are generally too astringent to be eaten, “the pear equivalent of crabapples,” Mr. Neal calls them. I recently had a glass of Lemorton Réserve, an excellent young Calvados from the Domfrontais region that is made predominantly of pears, and, while perhaps a phantom fragrance came through, it still tasted primarily of apples to me.

Beyond Calvados Domfrontais, the appellation system unfortunately tells little about the many regional differences in terroir, though it does say something about production method. The basic appellation “Calvados” indicates the brandy can come from anywhere within the region, and that it need only be distilled once in a column still. Calvados Pays d’Auge comes from the heart of Calvados country and must be distilled twice in a pot still, like those used for Cognac. It’s a more expensive, labor-intensive process. Even so, those brandies labeled simply Calvados are not necessarily inferior. Michel Huard , a small producer, for example, makes wonderful, complex Calvados. Still, nuances of terroir are hard to detect from the label. Occasionally, a label reveals whether a Calvados is from Mortainais or Cotentin, but not often. Calvados, like Cognac, is dominated by big producers, like Boulard and Busnel. Sometimes they can make good brandies.

Boulard’s Calvados Pays d’Auge X.O., a $90 bottle, is fresh, mellow and elegant, but leans toward Cognac in emphasizing sweet vanilla, toffee and barrel characteristics over apple. Sometimes, a Calvados from one of the big assembly-line producers can taste manipulated, thickened with sugar syrup, for example, which is legal, as is the addition of caramel and the use of wood chips. Among the large houses are more focused producers like Christian Drouin or Roger Groult , kind of Billecart-Salmon to Boulard’s Veuve Clicquot, to put it in Champagne terms. Drouin’s Calvados are always excellent, even inexpensive bottles like the Pays d’Auge Sélection for $25, and I recently had an unusual, almost butterscotch-flavored Réserve Pays d’Auge from Groult for $38. Most interesting to me are the Calvados made by farmers who grow their own fruit, like grower-producers in Champagne. Where the bigger houses strive for consistency, these small-production Calvados are often strikingly distinctive.

I can’t think of a young Calvados I’ve enjoyed more than the Pays d’Auge Réserve from Domaine de Montreuil, a $45 bottle in which the fresh, ripe, juicy apples, with a little mint and cinnamon for complexity, fairly leaped from the glass. It was a tad fiery and raw, but I didn’t mind. Sadly, small-production Calvados are hard to find. Mr. Neal imports several, including Domaine de Montreuil, Lemorton and Adrien Camut. Extensive Calvados selections can also be found in New York at the Barclay Bar at the InterContinental Hotel on the East Side and at the Brandy Library in TriBeCa. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Consumption of brandy in the United States has gone up in the last 20 years, partly, at least, because of the rising interest in cocktails. Barclay Bar, for one, emphasizes Calvados cocktails. For me, though, nothing beats the gorgeous, clear evocation of apples in a glass of good, unadorned young Calvados on a crisp fall day.

A version of this article appears in print on November 2, 2011, on Page D6 of the New York edition with the headline: Flavors of Apple And a Sip of Fall. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe French Digestifs French Digestifs Written by Laura Van Iterson Uncorking the mysteries You know the scene: after finishing a great French meal, you're feeling a little tipsy and definitely very full. You find yourself being offered more to drink. This time, the bottles your host opens bear mysterious labels: Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados, Eau de Vie, Crême, Genepy, Cointreau,. What is in those bottles? Why are they only served after dinner? Known as digestifs, these French after-dinner drinks are served after a meal because that is when your stomach is full enough to handle their high alcohol content (at least 35%)! Digestifs are either liqueurs or spirits Liqueur comes from the latin word liquifacere, which means "to dissolve." Made from sweet alcohol into which are dissolved various flavorings such as fruit, herbs, spices, plants, flowers, seeds, roots, bark,, and sometimes...

cream, liqueurs are not usually aged for long periods of time, but may rest during their production to allow the flavors to marry. Spirits are made by distillation. A spirit is the alcohol distilled from a substance that has fermented; this could be wine, malt, or grain. Brandy, for example, is a spirit made from wine. Cognac is a kind of brandy. Brandy comes from the Dutch word brandewijn - fire wine. Heat distillation concentrates the wine's alcohol. To be called cognac, a brandy needs to meet specific criteria. It has to be produced in the region surrounding the town of Cognac, in southwestern France. Always made from Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc or Colombard grapes, it should be distilled twice, for 12 hours each time, in copper pot stills that are heated over open flames, and then aged at least 2 1/2 years in oak barrels. What evaporates from the oak barrels is described as "la part des anges," the share claimed by the angels. Oak imparts cinnamon and vanilla flavors, deepening the color of the Cognac, which is clear when it is drawn off the still.

Cognac is rated on the bottle, in accordance with its origin and its age. The older the cognac, the better it will be when served on its own, without ice or mixing. Suggestion: Cognac Normandin Mercier Vieille Fine Champagne, 43.30E Whereas cognacs are double-distilled to achieve elegance and balance, armagnacs are single distilled. Expect a heartier more flavorful brandy. Armagnac is brandy produced and distilled in Gascony, an area of France, which prides itself in using traditional techniques. The official production area is divided into three districts, Bas Armagnac - the largest, Tenarèze, and Haut Armagnac. Although the term "bas" means "lower" in French, the best armagnacs are principally produced in Bas Armagnac. Suggestions: Bas Armagnac Darroze 10 ans, Bas Armagnac Boignères or Folle Blanche 1993. 69.00E Eaux-de-vie are intensely flavored, and simply the pure distilled essence of fruit without the skin, seeds, pulp, stem.

As clear as spring water, their potency (40 to 50% alcohol) can take you by surprise. Most eaux de vie are created by distilling fermented fruit. Others are produced through a system of "macération," meaning to soak, in which fermented fruit is steeped in neutral spirits for weeks at a time, to gradually and gently extract the fine characteristics of the fruit without submitting it to the rigors of heated distillation. France Alsace's distillers have been crafting eaux de vie for centuries, elevating the skill to an art.. Suggestions: Roque Eau de Vie de Vieille Prune 43E Eau de Vie de Laurent Cazottes. Reine Claude Dorée Passerillée (45% alcohol) 63.50E Calvados is apple brandy. To be called Calvados, it has to be made in Normandy. This takes place in several stages: the apples are picked from September to December, before being ripened and dried in open wooden boxes until January. The Calvados distilleries then mash their apples and allow the juice to naturally ferment into cider over several months.

Distillation occurs either once or twice, depending on the region of Calvados. The Pays d'Auge appellation requires a two-stage distillation. After this process, the liquid is colorless and tastes harshly of alcohol. Mellowing of the flavors is obtained through ageing in white oak barrels from Limousin, many of which are former sherry or port casks. Vintage bottlings were once common. The current trend is for general age designations like 10-year or 15-year, in which the youngest spirit included must be at least as old as the age listed. Normans drink a shot of it in the middle of a meal to assist digestion. Calvados Groult 8 ans (41% alcohol) 42.20E Sweet crèmes are digestifs that are dense, highly concentrated, viscous, liqueur-like fruit brandies that are often used in mixed drinks or poured over sorbet or vanilla ice cream. For example: TRENEL Crème de Griotte (18% alcohol) 21.00E The recipe for Génépy, a digestif from the Alps, illustrates the making of a liqueur.

Macerate 40 stalks and flowers of the plant Génépi, in a liter of alcohol, with 40 sugar cubes, for 40 days. Bottle it, and drink it after dinner! A very good quality Génépy is made by the brand Grand Rubren. The Cointreau family, confectioners and distillers in Angers, invented the eponymous liqueur in the mid 19th century. On a trip to the Caribbean, one of the Cointreaus happened upon native wild oranges. Instead of subjecting them to long hot voyage during which the oranges would dry up, he sent home dried peels. After receiving this rather strange if highly aromatic shipment from his son, Edouard Cointreau experimented with various concoctions until he came up with the secret formula still used today. Cook's Thesaurus: Brandies aguardiente See grappa . apple brandy = eau-de-vie de cidre = eau-de-vie de marc de cidre = cider brandy Notes: This exquisite brandy has a soft apple fragrance.

Calvados = calva (cal-VAH-dohs) is the French version, applejack = apple jack is the inferior American version. Calvados is ranked much like cognac. The very best Calvados are labeled Napoleon, Extra Old (XO), Extra, or Hors D'Age. After that comes VSOP, Vieille Reserve, or VO. Next come Vieux or Reserve Calvados, then those with three stars or three apples on their labels. Substitutes: pear brandy OR equal parts apple juice concentrate and cognac applejack See apple brandy . apricot brandy = barack Notes: This is distilled from apricot juice. Brands include the French Abricotine, and the Hungarian Barack Pï¿½linka. Substitutes: apricot liqueur (sweeter) OR cherry brandy OR apricot schnapps OR orange liqueur OR apricot nectar aqua vitï¿½ = aqua vitae See brandy . Armagnac Pronunciation: ar-muhn-YAK Notes: This French brandy is similar to cognac, but with a more pronounced flavor.

Since their quality varies, Armagnac brandies don't share cognac's exalted reputation, but a good Armagnac compares favorably with any cognac. Substitutes: cognac (lighter, sweeter) cachaça = cachaca = pinga Pronunciation: kah-SHAH-sah Notes: This sugarcane brandy is made in Brazil, where the name means "burning water." Velho Barreto is a well-regarded brand. Substitutes: white rum OR tequila OR grappa OR marc Calvados See apple brandy . cognac Shopping hints: The very best cognacs are labeled VVSOP, Napoleon, Vieille Reserve, Grand Reserve, Royal, or Vieux. Next in the rankings are cognacs labeled Extra Old (XO), Extra, or Hors D'Age. After that comes VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), Reserve, or VO. Next come cognacs with VS or *** on their labels. Connoisseurs also check for the cru, or place where the cognac was made. The best crus are Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne.

Substitutes: armagnac (more flavorful and slightly drier than cognac) OR American brandy eaux de vie See brandy . eau-de-vie de poire See pear brandy . framboise = framboise eau de vie = framboise eau-de-vie Pronunciation: frahm-BWAHZ Notes: This is a clear French fruit brandy that's made with raspberries. Don't confuse this with framboise liqueur, which is sweeter, or with framboise syrup, which is a non-alcoholic raspberry flavoring. Substitutes: kirschwasser OR raspberry liqueur (sweeter) OR framboise syrup (sweeter, non-alcoholic, and cheaper) fruit brandies = eaux de vie = eaux-de-vie = aqua vitï¿½ = aqua vitae = white alcohol = white spirits Notes: While other brandies are distilled from fruit juice, fruit brandies are distilled from the entire fruit--skins, pits, and all. They're usually colorless, and fairly high in alcohol.

Varieties include apricot brandy , plum brandy , kirschwasser (cherries), framboise (raspberries), fraise (strawberries), grappa (grapes), pisco (Muscatel grapes), mure (blackberries), and myrtille (bilberries). Don't confuse fruit brandies with the cheaper and cloyingly sweet fruit-flavored brandies. Substitutes: brandy OR fruit-flavored brandy fruit-flavored brandy Notes: This is brandy that has fruit flavoring and coloring added. Don't confuse these sweet liqueurs with the more elegant and expensive fruit brandy, which is distilled from whole fruit. Substitutes: fruit liqueur OR fruit wine grapa See grappa . grappa = grapa = marc = eau-de-vie de marc = eau de vie de marc = aguardiente = testerbranntwein = bagaceira = pomace brandy Pronunciation: GRAH-pah Notes: This potent and somewhat harsh drink is made from the grape residue, called pomace, that's left over from making brandy.

It's traditionally been thought of as a second-rate eau de vie, but some producers have developed premium grappas that are quite smooth and very pricey. Grappa is the Italian version, marc the French, aguardiente the Spanish, testerbranntwein the German, and bagaceira the Portuguese. Substitutes: raki OR apple brandy OR pear brandy OR cognac OR armagnac kirsch = kirschwasser = cherry brandy = Schwarzwalder Pronunciation: KEERSH Notes: This colorless cherry brandy is made primarily in Germany. French kirsch isn't quite as dry. Substitutes: cherry liqueur OR framboise OR plum brandy OR cherry syrup marc See grappa . Metaxa Pronunciation: meh-TAHK-suh Notes: This is a sweet Greek brandy with a strong resin flavor. Substitutes: cognac OR armagnac mirabelle See plum brandy . pear brandy = eau-de-vie de poire Notes: Brandy made from Williams pears (like Poire Williams and Williamine) are especially good. Some bottles have an entire pear in the bottle.

Substitutes: apple brandy OR other brandy See also: brandy

Question: From which fruit is the French drink Calvados made
Answer: Apples